Junagadh State

State of Junagadh
1730–1948
Flag (1947–48) Emblem
Location of the State of Junagarh, among all districts (in dark green)
Status	State Within the Maratha Confederacy (1731–1807) Protectorate of the East India Company (1807–1857) Princely State of the British Raj (1857–1947)
Capital	Junagadh
Nawab
• 1730– 1758 (first)	Mohammad Bahadur Khanji I
• 1911–1948 (last)	Muhammad Mahabat Khan III
History
• Founded	1730
• Annexation of Junagarh	1948
Area
1921	8,643 km2 (3,337 sq mi)
Population
• 1921	465,493
Preceded by Succeeded by Maratha Empire Saurashtra
Today part of	Gujarat, India

Modern state of Gujarat, shown within modern borders of India

The State of Junagadh was a princely state in the Kathiawar Peninsula of western India, located in present-day Gujarat. Ruled by the Babi dynasty of Muslim Nawabs since 1654, it was one of the larger princely states in the region firstly within the Maratha Empire and later by British India. In 1947, following the partition of India, Junagadh became the subject of a political dispute when its ruler, Nawab Mahabat Khan III, acceded to Pakistan despite the state's predominantly Hindu population and its geographical contiguity with India. This decision led to unrest and the eventual intervention of the Government of India. After a plebiscite held in 1948, in which an overwhelming majority voted in favor of accession to India, Junagadh was integrated into the Indian Union and later became part of the state of Gujarat. Pakistan claims sovereignty over the erstwhile princely state to this day.